Insulated rail-joint.



B. G. BRAINE.

INSULATED RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10. I916.

Patented Nov. 7,1916.

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B. G. BRAINE.

INSULATED RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED JULY I0, 1916.

Patented Nov, T, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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BANCROFT G. BBAINE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE BAIL JOINT COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

INSULATED BAIL-JOINT.

recedes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

'lI atenuteol Nov. '2, acre.

Application filed July 10, 1916. Serial No. 108,432.

lating the bolts from the joint bars in joints of this type.

Heretofore, it has been the generai practice to employ fiber ferrules or sleeves around the boltsto preventthe latter from contacting with the splice bar, and in service these ferrules become ruptured or worn, and frequently need replacing. The disintegration of these ferrules is, for the greater part, due to the end-wise movement of rails, the pressure of which is usually taken up by the sides of the bolt holes in the splicebar, thus subjecting the ferrule to a stress which causes the same to become thin and often completely break at this point, making a short circuit or current leakage. In order to place a new ferrule around the shank of the bolt, it is necessary to dismember the joint, which involves considerable trouble and expense.

Accordingly, the present invention proposes to provide an improved bolt insulation of such form and arrangement as to from an accessible position,

eifectually prevent current leakage or short At the same an ample clearance through the splicebar, so that the pressure, due to the end-wise movement of the rails, will not come against the sides of the holes in the splice bar, but is transferred to another portion thereof which is capable of being easily insulated thus facilitating the renewalof the insulation, and at the same time providing a relatively large and uniform bearing surface for the insulating fiber as compared with the side of the bolt holes in the splice bar. Therefore, it will be apparent that the novel and distinctive feature of the present invention is the provision of means whereby the end-wise pressure of the rails is removed from the sides of the bolt holes of the splice bar, and transferred to other portions of the latter especially adapted to withstand the pressure, and serving to hold the bolts centered in the bolt holes. i

As a further object, the invention contemplates means of the character set forth, which are susceptible of embodiment in, or application to, joint bars of standard section, without in any way affecting the structural features thereof, and which are located in a relatively exposed position, and

consequently are readily accessible for'the I purpose of facilitating renewals and the like.

With the above and other objects in View which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same 'onsists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and dfamed.

Preferred and practical embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1' is a. perspective view of aninsulatedrail joint, showing the present invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail longitudinal sectional VEQW taken through the bolt insulating unit,

shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 1, showing a slightly modified form of the invention. Fig. 4 is a view similar to F ignQ, showing the modification of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the construction shown in Fig. 3, taken at one of the bolts. Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a joint bar showing a still further modification'of the invention. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail longitudinal sectional view of one complete insulating unit used in connection with the joint bar, shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional View of the construction shown in Fig. 7, the line of section being taken at one of the bolts.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding partsthroughout the several figures of the drawings.

As previously indicated,- the present invention is susceptible of application to any joint bar of the insulated type, and as illustrating the use of the invention in connection with joint bars already in use, reference may be had to Fig. l of the drawings, which shows continuous joint bars 11 held CJI shoe. is the bearing of the abutment 1, T in 1 I shoulders are lino tllE ends or the washer plate also nat, the prssurc on the in sulation is evenly distributed, and no single portion thereof cuts out more rapidly than another, as in the case of a ferrule surrounding a bolt in a circular. bolt hole.

Without further description, itis thought that the many features and advantages of the invention will be apparent, and it will, of course, be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An insulated rail joint including in combination with the rails and joint bolts, a splice bar having bolt holes and abutments adjacent thereto, and. an insulated pressuretransferring element engaging the bolts and said abutments.

2. An insulated. rail joint including in combination with the rails and joint bolts, a splice bar having bolt holes, and rigid abutments adjacent thereto, and an insulated. pressure transferring element snugly fitting said bolts and engaged by said rigid abutment means.

3. An insulated rail joint including in combination with the rails and joint bolts, a splice bar having bolt holes, and abutment means adjacent thereto, and insulated means carried by said bolts for engaging with said abutment means to center the bolts in the bolt holes in the splice bar.

4. An insulated rail joint including in combination with the rails and joint bolts, a splice bar having holes for loosely receiving the bolts, and rigid abutment means adjacent said holes, and insulated means carried by said bolts for transferring end-wise pressure of the rails to said abutment'means.

5. An insulated rail joint including in combination with the rails and joint bolts, a splice bar having bolt holes and also having abutment elements disposed on opposite sides of said bolt holes, and insulated means carried by said bolts for transferring endwise pressure of the rails to said abutment means,

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6. An insulated rail joint including in combination with the rails and joint bolts, a splice bar having spaced paired bolt holes, and abutment elements arranged in opposed relation adjacent said paired bolt holes, and an insulated pressure transferring element carried by the bolts projecting through said paired bolt holes and interlocked with said abutment elements.

7. An insulated rail joint including in combination with the rails and joint bolts, a splice bar having bolt holes and abutment elements arranged in opposed relation adjacent certain of said holes, and an insulated pressure transferring element carried by the ends of said bolts passing through said holes and arranged in an exposed position at the outer face of the web of the bar and fitting between said abutment elements.

8. An insulated rail joint including in combination with the rails and joint bolts, a splice bar having bolt holes, and rigid abutment shoulders adjacent said holes, an insulated washer plate snugly fitting said bolts and limited in its movement by engagement with said rigid abutment means.

9. An insulated trail joint including in combination with the rails and joint bolts, a splice bar having bolt holes for receiving the bolts, and also having abutment shoulders arranged in opposed relation adjacent said holes, a washer element carried by said bolts and in metallic engagement therewith, and an insulation shoe interposed between one face of the washer element and the splice bar and also between the ends thereof and the abutment shoulders, said washer element and shoe being interlocked between said shoulders.

10. An insulated rail joint including in combination with the rails and joint bolts, a splice bar having bolt holes, and also having a depression adjacent said holes and abutment shoulders located at the ends of said depression, and an insulated pressure transferring element rigidly carried by said bolts and having the ends thereof in abutting engagement with said shoulders.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my 100 signature.

BANCROFT Gr. BRAINE 

